Looking for Heroes
by Krissey-da-Cougar
Summary: The year is 2008. The setting is Earth, the real Earth. And it has been seven years. Now the coming of Chaos is here. THEY had brought it with them. And only THEY can save us from it if they chose so. But the whole world isn't such an easy thing to save..
1. Chapter 1: Walk This World Alone

**Looking for Heroes**

Part 1

Chapter 1: Walk This World Alone

-

_Dear Diary (2-9-2008),_

_Hey. Welcome to the wonderful world of me: Mariette, your normal, average, fourteen-year-old girl. Of course, you can just call me Marie. Not that I can hear you anyway, but it's what everyone else calls me. Anyway, I better stop rambling. Mom tells me that all the time—"Stop rambling, honey, you're gonna talk your lips off." Ugh. But I can't help it—my mind thinks fast; thus, I must talk fast in order to get everything I am thinking out. But she's gotta point. There's really only two people who are used to my rapid talking. Speaking of which, one of them has been gone a while… But it's only been two days. He's probably sick. What do I know? He gets sick a lot. Anyways, I gotta go—mom's calling me for dinner. Write to ya tomorrow, Diary!_

-

"ACK! Look out, Rouge!"

The called girl quickly turned the control stick on her Nintendo Gamecube controller to dodge the oncoming attack.

"You fluff-ball—why didn't you warn me earlier?!" 'Rouge' barked, deep, turquoise eyes locked onto the screen. Her fingers were in a frenzy as she tried to regain control over her kart, as they were playing _Mario Kart: Double-Dash_.

A viewer from the couch chuckled—his deep voice resonating in his throat. "Fluff-ball…you should remember that one, Rouge. Rare that you should think of such a good nickname for our blue friend."

"Naw, shut up," the said 'blue friend' retorted. "We've almost got first."

And it was true. The 'blue friend' and Rouge had teamed up to see if they could win the all-cup tour grand prix on _Mario Kart: Double-Dash_. So far, things were looking good. They had gotten remotely high places, and it all came down to this last race—the final lap of the sixteenth course, Rainbow Road.

"C'mon, c'mon…" the blue one urged. "Can't you make this kart go faster, Rouge?!"

"Then why don't _you_ drive?" the 18-year-old replied. Her name wasn't really 'Rouge' (it was really Chelsea)—it was just the nickname given to her after the infamous bat video game character she had been named after. In fact, she wasn't a bat at all. She was an American—from New York City—who had such bright blonde hair, it was often mistaken for white. She, like many others who lived where she did in Japan, were orphans and were used to base video game characters off of for a company that called themselves SEGA.

However, there were some that lived with her and the other orphans that were not humans…

Like our said blue friend.

"I _would_ drive, but _you're_ the one who was threatening to destroy my _Legend of Zelda_ video game collection!"

Yes, quite odd that the trademark of SEGA was a fan of Nintendo games. But throw in the fact that our hedgehog friend has no clue video games were ever made off of him, and that he lived only because of the hospitality of Yuji Naka and others, and you can't really blame him.

At this, Rouge grinned, still focused on the screen. "I can't believe you're actually obsessed with that series, anyway…"

"Look who's talkin', Orlando Bloom's girlfriend wannabe!"

Rouge immediately paused the game, turning to face her partner, eyes flashing. "How did you know that?!"

The viewer behind them, on the couch groaned. "Here we go again…" But taking it as casually as ever, he took a sip out of the Diet Coke can in his hand. Needless to say, it wasn't uncommon for the blue hedgehog and Rouge to get in fights like this. The two were always at it. Bicker-backer here; punch-kick there…

It was almost like a daily routine.

The blue one grinned, letting the controller fall from his hands and then bringing them together, putting on a purposely-lame impersonation of a girl.

"…oh, Diary, he's just so cute! I know he's 31 or something, but he's still so hot. Oh, Diary…"

"_Sonic!_" Rouge roared, now knowing he had gone through her personal stuff. "Okay, _now_, you're gonna get it!"

Sonic just laughed as the two commenced into a fight. It wasn't a matter of winning or losing for him. The thrill of it all was just to see her get mad.

"Shadow, you'd better come and help me!" Rouge called upon the viewer on the couch. But her childhood friend—also from New York City and an orphan—did not budge. He, too, was 18, and had black hair with permanent red streaks in them (which he did himself in the days that he told no one about—the 'dark days' as another hedgehog, Amy, nicknamed them).

"_Shadow!_" Rouge whined.

But Shadow pretended not to hear, instead closing on eye to peek into his soda can. He frowned. "There's none left…better go get some more…" And with that, he got up and sauntered over to the basement stairs to return to the first floor of their 'home'.

"Shadow—what are you doing?! Shadow!" Rouge screamed.

But the black and red-haired one paid no heed to her calls, whistling, in fact, as he jogged up the stairs. Her voice, getting more urgent, only faded away the farther he got. He smirked.

It was upstairs that he found the other members of his 'family' (each considered everyone that lived there a part of it; they had no parents—why not?). 10-year-old Tails, a kitsune and a weird alien creature like Sonic, was reading some sort of instruction manual on the lazy-boy. Amy, who was 12-years-old and a pink hedgehog, was working on dinner. 16-year-old Knuckles—a red echidna—was busy snoozing on the couch (rather loudly, Shadow noted). Little Cream (nobody knew her real name; she was too young when she appeared to remember), the youngest of the family (a human) and 8-years-old, was busy helping Amy with dinner. And then there was 25-year-old Elise, who was currently gone working on probably some new video game with the other SEGA employees.

Shadow smirked, walking over and throwing his trash can away before opening the refrigerator for another one. Only he and the other human children here knew the fact that they were the basis of famous video game characters known throughout the world. Their four alien creature friends, however, did not. In fact, the aliens weren't even aloud to leave the house—which was really just a two-story apartment in the SEGA headquarters in Japan. Every once in a while, they would be granted entrance into some of the other halls. But that was it. They knew nothing of the 'outside world', as they called it. It was kinda sad, actually. They didn't know what a 'sun' looked like—Sonic and Amy could only remember a vague, large, bright object, while Knuckles could remember it a little better, but it was still mysterious to them. They hadn't ever seen grass, breathed fresh air…no, they remembered nothing of whatever world they came from (besides that vague picture of the sun, remember). All they knew where the confinements of their small apartment home, which had no windows and many lights.

Taking a sip of his new Diet Coke can, Shadow realized it was kinda funny how it all started, really. One scientist man—Dr. Ivo was his name (guess which character was based off of him)—was up late at night, working on a teleport system that would dematerialize an object successfully and then rematerialize it correctly in the other capsule. On one of his tests, there was a bright flash of light and when he looked, there in the capsule were two little alien children—Sonic, at that time 5, and Tails, at that time barely a year old.

Dr. Ivo showed his best friend, Yuji Naka, the mysterious creatures. After all—the freakiest thing was, they looked _exactly like_ the creatures for a video game that Yuji Naka created himself. That was in 1999. A year later, Dr. Ivo was trying to figure out what caused Sonic and Tails to appear, when yet another already-imaginated creature appeared—an 8-year-old Knuckles.

That made things get even weirder. And then, the next year, the last creature appeared—Amy, at that time, being 5.

It was also faintly recorded, Shadow remembered, that there was a black hole somewhere off in distant space. How astronauts figured that out was beyond him, but sneaking suspicion told him that the appearance of the four aliens and the black hole had a connection…

But again, who was he to figure such a crazy thing out?

"Shadow! Stop drinking so much Coke! You're not gonna be hungry for dinner!" Amy scolded.

The teenager turned to face the pink-furred creature. Her blue-green eyes were fierce, hands on her hips. Despite her small appearance, she could really glare hard. But such things didn't get to Shadow.

In fact, he grinned, chuckling. "Have you forgotten—I'm the ultimate life form?" Of course that wasn't true, but since the character that was based off of him was, couldn't he say it as a joke?

But Amy didn't get it, as it was evident in the way her hands fell limp at her sides and she gaped at him with one eye brow raised. Little Cream, behind her, giggled, understanding it. Shadow chuckled.

"Don't hurt yourself, young one. Such things are far beyond what your petty mind can comprehend," he smirked, walking away nonchalantly and taking a sip of his Coke.

Amy's face flushed red with anger—but really, you could only tell the difference of color in her light tan muzzle. "I do not have a petty mind! Let me remind you: just _who_ makes our meals everyday?"

Shadow grinned, although no one could see it. "And who eats them…?" It wasn't as if proving that they ate the food—it was as if saying, 'No one eats it.'

He could hear Amy growl behind him, but he was soon in his bedroom with the door shut behind him before he could hear a word Amy retorted to him.

"Ah…this is the life…" he sighed contentedly as he lied down on his bed. Everything seemed so happy every day—and that was an improvement from what his old life used to be. He had a family, now (but he would never say it aloud). He didn't have to go to school. It…it was really amazing. Life was perfect. Simply perfect.

But that would all change.

Very.

_Very._

Soon…

-

(So it is written, and so it will be…)

-

Elise stumbled through the door, hands full of groceries. But her grin was a mile wide.

"Hey, guys! I'm home!"

After dumping the bags on the kitchen counter, she was instantly bombarded by a hug from Cream, the little one's light brown hair flying. The child never spoke much, preferring to be silent, but that only made the few words she did speak every so often the more beautiful.

Elise laughed. "Hello to you too, Cream," she replied, understanding the gesture.

Tails rushed over as well, sky blue eyes wide and excited. "Hey, Elise! Did you learn anything new today?"

Elise's smile remained, her own bright sapphire eyes twinkling. To their little 'family', she was considered the 'mother'—and not even Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge or Shadow thought of her differently. When they were down, she cheered them up. When they were in need, she gave to them. When they were crying, she held them. It was really the most beautiful family you would ever see—made of mismatched kids and a 25-year-old mother. Who would've thought?

"Yes. I learned something especially cool that I think you might like to see," Elise replied. Tails was always eager to learn whatever Elise wanted to tell him. She never really pressured her 'children' to listen and learn. If they wanted to lend an ear, she would give them her words of knowledge and that was that, no matter how unwise.

It was then she noticed the three missing members of their 'family.'

"Where's Jake, Chelsea and Sonic?" Elise asked. She usually didn't call Shadow and Rouge by their nicknames. For her, it was easier to just call them by their real names.

"I'm here. Rouge and Fluff-ball are downstairs in another fight," came the voice of Shadow (or 'Jake') as he walked back into the living room/kitchen, and throwing away yet another can of Diet Coke.

Elise raised an amber eyebrow at the term 'fluff-ball', but didn't make a comment of it. Instead, she silently made her way to the basement. Yet another fight to be settled between the two…

Amy shook her head, sighing. "They just don't quit, do they?"

Cream giggled a little bit, arms clasped behind her back and shaking her head.

Tails' sky blue eyes drifted over to the open doorway to the basement. "I wonder what punishment they'll get _this_ time…" he murmured faintly.

Shadow shrugged. "Last time, the fight wasn't so bad, so Rouge just got limited to 10 minutes in the bathroom to groom herself and Sonic got a limit of 30 minutes to play video games."

"Yeah, but they were only fighting because Sonic stole one of Rouge's bobby-pins," Tails pointed out. "…what _are_ they fighting over this time, anyway?"

"Obsessions," Shadow said simply, once again (to his dismay) out of Diet Coke.

But everyone knew what their teenage friend meant. Sonic and Rouge, when not having anything possessive to bicker about, would often fight about obsessions. It was just the way they were. A troublesome, active hedgehog did not mix with a sly, conceited New York teen. It was like jelly in tomato sauce—or mushrooms and ice cream. They just didn't go together. And yet they could be the greatest team when playing together on video games…

It was at that moment that Elise came up from the basement, pulling Sonic and Rouge up as well by their ears. Both were muttering, 'Ow…ow….ow…ow…' and shooting glares at each other whenever permissible.

The others did not make a sound.

"…Rouge you are grounded from texting on your cell for this whole week, and you Sonic—no, don't think that just because you have a bloody nose you're gonna get exempted from any punishment. I am the head of this household and you will be banned from your track excursions for the next couple trips. Is that clear? Rouge, no texting. Sonic, no running. Now I don't wanna see neither of you two's faces until dinner. Go straight to your bedrooms _now_."

Rouge grumbled, but did as told—making sure everyone knew she was angry by stomping until she came to her room and slamming the door shut behind her. Because Shadow and Rouge were 18, each had their own bedroom whilst Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails bunked in the same room and Amy and Cream bunked in the same room.

Speaking of Sonic, the blue hedgehog was currently holding a gloved hand under his nose. Steadily, the glove was getting redder and redder from his wound.

"Can't I have this cared for, first…?" he asked, looking up with as-innocent-as-can-be green eyes at Elise.

The 'mother' rolled her eyes. "Fine. Come."

And with that, she led the blue one away.

There was silence in the kitchen after that. A few glances were shared, but no sound made. Well…except for the snoring Knuckles. As if on cue, everyone in the room turned to him.

Amazingly enough, throughout that whole ordeal, he had not awoken.

-

(The coming of Chaos…)

-

A few hours later found the little family around the dinner table, all eating the meal Amy had made. Unlike what Shadow's previous comments had said, the pink hedgehog really was a fine cook. Everyone would testify to that.

But today, there was silence around the table as people ate. No usual lively talking or playful banter. Just…silence.

This was bothering a certain two-tailed fox the most. He was one to doubt that people were happy if they weren't talking or smiling. For him, he always needed assurance of someone else's content. Thus the silence wasn't helping with that, needless to say.

"So…what happened today at work, Elise…?" Tails asked hesitantly. To him, it seemed like his voice had an odd ring in the air that would only make the silence worse. But it didn't.

The red-head smiled faintly. "Well…the usual. We've got more complaints than ever now about some of our new products…but there's hope for the newest one that's to be coming out this fall."

Of course, the whole 'products' thing was a code. Shadow, Rouge, and Cream understood what she meant by those phrases—she was talking about the video games SEGA made. But Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Tails only knew the literal meaning of what she said. They often questioned her what she meant by the vague word 'products', but she never gave them a direct answer. So, unwillingly, they had to go with what they knew.

"What about you guys? What did you do all day…?" Elise asked.

Cream's eyes lit up with unspoken enthusiasm, but Amy was the one to announce it. "Blaze came by today!"

'Blaze' was another nickname for a friend of theirs. She was a seventeen-year-old Japanese girl, who was one of the few 'Outsiders' that knew of their existence. She was a very calm girl, not one to speak her feelings much. But she had that quality about her—that essence—that made people just love to be around her.

"That's awesome!" Elise exclaimed. "So what did you guys do while she was here?"

Sonic, finally, lifted his head up from where it was hanging, grinning. He looked weird with a few Kleenexes wrapped around his nose, but no one made a teasing comment about it. Not while Elise was there… "We played video games, some other games, but the best part is: she even helped fix Tails' computer!"

Now _that_ was news.

A few weeks ago, the poor fox's computer crashed. He had been reading manual after manual on how to fix it. Once, even, he had thought he got it working, but it only crashed again. It was fantastic news to hear it working again.

"Tails, that's wonderful!" Elise said, truly excited.

Of course, for fear that he would discover the truth, the little fox knew nothing of the internet. He only used the computer for the vast other things it was useful for: keeping record of working formulas, scanning architectural prints for new machines, playing a new flight simulator game he got for Christmas…

Ah yes, he was quite content with what he did have.

Rouge looked up at Elise. "Hey…El…? What day is it tomorrow?"

Elise thought for a minute. "I believe its Saturday…you know what that means."

Numerous groans could be heard around the room. None of them liked going to 'church' (which was really just a small assembly room with one stained glass window in it; only they attended it with two or three workers at SEGA; Christianity was a minor religion in Japan). It meant they had to dress up and look nice just to hear one person ramble on about a guy in the past. How did that concern them, anyway…?

But only one person, besides Elise, at the table didn't groan.

Surprisingly enough, that was Shadow.

He believed in the words spoken every Saturday at their little 'church'. That there was Salvation, and a life after death. It was what made him change, really.

Elise smiled gently, sharing a glance with Shadow. They could remember it well…

"Do we _have_ to go?" Sonic whined, breaking both of their trains of thought.

Elise rolled her eyes. "Yes, Sonic."

"But why? It's so boring…" he groaned, lolling his head back.

Elise sighed, shaking her head. Crimson strands of hair fell from behind her ears with the movement, and she pushed them back as a small smile made its way onto her face. "Someday you'll understand…and then you'll be thanking me I ever made you go at all…"

"Yeah right…" Sonic mumbled, crossing his arms.

But there was much truth to the girl's words, for the only thing she ever made them do turned out to be the one thing that saved them all.

-

(Finally, the period of imprisonment has ended…)

-

It started the next day.

Sonic's vigorous tapping of the foot had not been unnoticed throughout the sermon. He had been as bored as bored could be. He was so bored, he even looked at the single stained glass at the front of the small assembly hall, wondering what the picture was supposed to depict. For him, that was the sign of ultimate boredom: thinking. Although his mind always wondered—often as fast as his feet—he usually didn't ask himself questions that would take longer than 5 minutes to answer. If it did, he'd shrug it off and move on to something else. But then, he _had_ nothing else to move on to. So he was stuck. Thinking about a stupid stained glass picture.

Ugh, it was so annoying…

But 14-year-old Sonic soon learned, right after the sermon, it was even _more_ annoying to be pulled _back_ from his 'family' and requested to be talked with the pastor.

"…Sonic…" the grey-haired man tried to catch the ever-wandering-attention of the hedgehog. They were the only ones left in the assembly hall.

Sonic jumped slightly, as if woken from a dream. "Eh…? Say what?"

The pastor sighed heavily, hanging his head slightly. "You're hopeless, aren't you?"

Obviously, this hadn't been the first time he had taken him aside to talk with him about the seriousness of the things he said every Saturday. In fact, this was more like the millionth time, and the old man was beginning to get tired of these constant discussions…

"I wouldn't say that," Sonic grinned cheekily, arms crossed over his chest and foot on top of the pew in front of him. "I can defend myself pretty well. I usually win with the fights between me and Rouge—"

"That's not what I meant," the old man said, his breath coming out exasperated. "You don't understand…" this he added with old, winkled hands rubbing against his equally old and winkled face.

At this, Sonic frowned. He hated not understanding things—or not knowing things, for that matter. His nose, better from yesterday's injury, huffed out an arrogant puff of air as he spoke, "Well, if you'd tell me, I might."

"Sonic, that's what I've been trying to do…but you just don't listen…"

Sonic stood up abruptly, palms facing the older one. "Hey," his voice was defensive yet light, as if trying to put the blame on another. "Here's a tip or two from me: make your 'sermons' a little more exciting, and just _maybe_ I might listen." He shrugged, eyes open and waiting to hear what the other would say. "It's a suggestion…"

The reaction was faintly what he had expected.

"_What's more important—your place in eternity, or just a few seconds of thrill?_"

See, that's where the part about it being _faintly _what he had expected, came in.

First of all, he had not expected such an old man to suddenly stand up with incredible speed. Second, he had not thought the old geezer to actually consider all that stuff about Heaven and Hell to be real. Third, he didn't take into account that just _maybe_ the old guy would burst his ears off with the level of volume he used. And fourth, he had not thought that the pastor would include something about eternity in defense of his sermons.

"Well geez, if it means so much to you, then sor-ry," Sonic put his hands up, turning away and crossing his arms across his chest. His voice was light and careless.

There was a long, cold silence after that.

Sonic had not thought that he could ever feel unnerved by just silence. But he was then. In fact, he was a little bit afraid. Had he pushed it too far…? Well, he _was_ speaking the truth, right? After all, even the pastor himself said saying the truth was better than lying…

But somehow, he had that little inkling that maybe he had told the truth the wrong way.

"What does it matter…I tried…but you only turn it away…" There was a pause after that. But the next few words—abrupt, out of place, and surprising—shocked Sonic. "…you're not like us, anyway."

The hedgehog whipped around like lightning, bright green eyes blazing. "What do you mean by that?" he barked. Ears were laid flat against his head, although he couldn't deny he was more curious than angry.

"You can't possibly be serious. You don't believe you're human, do you?" the pastor asked. Somehow, his voice seemed colder than before, when he spoke to everyone else—even Sonic earlier. But now…

Sonic's cheeks flushed with quiet anger, although there was little change in the fur along his muzzle. "I'm not dumb. Of course I know I'm not human! But what's so special about being a human, anyway? I'm just like you guys—I walk and talk and breathe and eat. What makes me different?"

The blue hedgehog could never remember regretting a question as simple as that one. For the next sentence spoken sliced him to the core. No, it was like ice that gripped at his heart, spreading to his chest, then his arms, then his throat, suffocating him…

"Since you don't believe in what I _try_ to tell you, I'll tell it to you in a way you'll understand: _Heaven isn't open to aliens like you_."

Sonic's mouth was agape with unspoken shock. In fact, he even surprised himself when he found the breath to exclaim, "_What_ did you say?"

But the pastor's glare was hard, unmoving and unrelenting. "You heard me," there was a little bit of malice in his voice—a bit over-doing the anger, Sonic thought faintly—as he said that. But he didn't stop talking. "You creatures don't have a choice. You can't go to Heaven—you're _animals_, for Pete's sake. _Animals_. And _animals_ don't have a mind…"

There was a quiet pause after that, but even Sonic could tell he wasn't done talking. The air was tense, as it seemed every minute dragged slowly on; it was as if even time was waiting for the old man to finish his sentence.

Remember how earlier, Sonic thought he felt like he was being suffocated by what the old guy said? Scratch that. After what the pastor said next, he felt he was stabbed in the heart and murdered to death by a cold, twisting knife.

"…they don't even have a _soul_."

That did it.

"_Shut up!_" Sonic yelled. He felt ready to punch to old guy—anything! How could he say such a heartless thing? And _he_ said _everyone_ deserved a chance at God's love…

How hypocritical.

In fact, Sonic was surprised to see his fist was about an inch away from the man's face when the next incredible thing happened…

The doors to the hall slammed open.

Both Sonic and the pastor then froze, turning to see who the unexpected visitor was.

It was Elise.

All three stood still in the awkward silence. One with a fist just a centimeter away from their head. One feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. And one just completely flustered and embarrassed of it all.

And then…

"_So-nic!_"

-

(I…)

-

The air was uneasy around the 'household' that night. Nobody wanted to bring up what happened earlier that day. Elise had been _mad_. And when she was _mad_, it made everyone else feel _bad_.

Shoot me for the corniness of the rhyme, my dear reader, but it was true.

Amy sat on a stool by the kitchen counter, hands around a mug of hot tea, her thumb slowly stroking it. Cream sat on another stool beside her, watching her legs dangle and having a vacant expression on her usually cheerful face. Tails was pacing slowly and quietly on the living room carpet, feet shuffling as if in depression. Knuckles was lying on the couch, facing the ceiling and hands over his stomach. Shadow stood beside the couch, watching the fox that walked back and forth slowly across the room. Rouge sat at the end of the couch, leaning forward, and hands folded in front of her.

It was _very _still.

But Knuckles then abruptly shattered the silence nonchalantly by saying, "He deserved it."

Shadow shrugged. "Even if he did, it's not like him to on impulse want to attack the pastor. Something had to stir up his anger."

"Maybe he was just tired of all the times the guy wanted to try and get him to convert," Rouge offered. She was siding on Knuckles with this one (which was a first, for she nearly got in as many fights with Knuckles as she did with Sonic), although it was mostly for revenge. "After all, it seems like every Saturday he was pulled back to be talked with…"

"Actually, this is the first time in a while that the pastor has wanted to talk to him about it," Tails spoke up.

Amy was quiet while the others continue to talk about the said subject. It had saddened her so much when she had seen how Elise dragged Sonic. It wasn't by the usual 'you're in trouble, and now you are grounded' pull. It was the 'you are _dead_' pull. Elise rarely did that pull. The last time she had done it was when Knuckles had walked out of the 'house', deliberately ignoring Elise's protests—and that was 3 years ago! Cream turned to look at her friend, her chocolate eyes questioning if she was all right. It was a minute, before Amy smiled hesitantly.

"I'm all right, Cream," she replied softly, hugging her dear 'sister' gently. "I'm just worried about Sonic, that's all…"

Cream nodded, empathetic. But she still did not speak a word.

Then, there was even a longer pause, before finally, Amy's blue-green eyes slowly drifted towards the closed door that she could partly see (this was because the other half was blocked by the wall that dipped down to the hallway of bedrooms. Shadow's was the only one that wasn't in the hallway, and stood in plain sight right across from the kitchen/living room). It was Sonic and Tails' room, where a certain hedgehog was being mercilessly ridiculed by a certain adult red-head…

Amy sighed quietly, shoulders slumping. She could almost _hear_ Elise's loud voice yelling at the blue hedgehog…

It only reminded her how much she didn't want to get on her 'mother's bad side.

To have someone who you worked so hard to try and make proud of you, look down on you in disappointment and shame was probably one of the worst feelings ever.

With a cold feeling sliding up her spine, Amy decided she didn't want to know what it felt like.

-

(…am…)

-

"…how _could _you, Sonic? What did he ever do to you? You are supposed to _respect _your elders—not try and hurt them!" Elise's voice roared as she paced the room, arms flying.

Her face flushed with even more anger as she saw the hedgehog lying arrogantly with his back towards her, legs up to his chest, and pillow covering his head (although his spines were making that action difficult).

"_Sonic!_" In an instant, she roughly yanked the pillow away, glaring hard at the 14-year-old. "Are you listening to me?"

"Well _you_ aren't listening to _me_, so why should _I _do the same to _you_?" Sonic yelled back, now sitting with his legs dangling over his lower bed on the bunk beds he and Tails shared. His emerald eyes glared fiercely into Elise's sky blue ones.

"I _gave_ you a chance to tell your story—but you didn't tell me! That's _your _fault!" Elise shot back.

Sonic furrowed his eyebrows, but he was not daunted. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

Elise furrowed her eyebrows back, glaring even harder. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you seem to trust that 'pastor' a lot more than you trust me," Sonic replied bitterly, turning around so his back faced her and that his legs were pulled up to his chest.

"Sonic I _do_ trust you—_you're_ not the one who's trusting _me_ to believe you!" Elise countered.

"That's because I _know _you won't believe me!" Sonic exclaimed, still refusing to look at her.

"You haven't even given me a chance!"

"Fine!" Sonic turned back around in a flash, legs dangling over his bed again. His eyebrows were furrowed, gaze firm. "You want me to give you a chance? I'll give you a chance—he told me '_Heaven is not open to aliens like me_.' And that's not all!"

Elise fell deathly silent after that, shocked and unbelieving. Her hands dropped lifelessly to her sides as she could only stare and listen at the teen in front of her.

"He also told me that that's because I'm _different _from you guys—I'm an _animal_. And he said _animals _don't have a _mind_—or a _soul_!"

There was silence.

Complete, utter, bare silence.

Sonic stared hard at Elise, and Elise could only stare limply back.

It was a long time before Sonic spoke, more quietly. "…there. Now you've heard me. Who do you believe?"

There was no movement for the longest of hours.

Emerald stared at sky blue. Sky blue stared at emerald.

And then…

All he could see for a reply was a simple, numb shake of the head, her amber hair dancing around her face, before Elise turned and left silently.

The 'click' of the door behind her seemed to echo around Sonic and Tails' room.

But more importantly…it seemed to echo and resound through Sonic's skull, who then and there decided he hated that pastor guy for tricking Elise to believe he was guilty, and Elise for not believing him.

He wanted this to all go away.

As he laid back down, putting his pillow back in its proper place and sliding under his covers, he mulled this thought over in his head. He didn't like being in trouble no more than the average, ordinary teen did. But the fact that _Elise_ didn't believe him, and was mad at him for a motive that he didn't have…

It just wasn't _fair_ how a guy that wasn't even a part of their 'family' had her trust more than he did! How was that possible, anyway…? He hadn't lied to Elise before…had…he…?

Without noticing, his eyes started to close as sleep slowly took over him.

His last remembered thought was, _Maybe I could just run away…for a little bit…escape from it all…just for a while…_--then a tired, small smile and--…_I think I'd like that._

And later that night, that was _exactly _what he did.

-

(…free.)

-

**Author's Notes:** Ah. It's finished. Although not like I had hoped…ah well. It can't be helped. n.n It _did_ turn out better than I expected…I've edited so many times. o.0 Anywayz, enjoy! I do hope you like this story that I am working-ever-so-hard-on:D lol Have a great day—and constructive criticizing _is welcome_. :D So feel free to leave me some suggestions! Thank you!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. All characters belong to SEGA. Mario Kart: Double Dash…yeah, that belongs to Nintendo.


	2. Chapter 2: Try to Stay on My Feet

Chapter 2: Try to Stay on My Feet

-

It was very still in the apartment that night. All the lights were off, giving one a musty darkness to blink through to even have the _slightest_ chance of seeing.

…not that anyone was _trying_…

Actually, almost everyone was peacefully sleeping. Cream lay with her stuffed Chao that was made especially for her (guess what its name was) hugged close. Amy with a small smile on her face, dreaming of the sweetest things (whether that was candy or her dream prince, only she knew). Tails was clutching his two namesakes against his chest. Knuckles was on his single bed, one strong arm dangling off of it. Rouge sleept with a hand under her head as if in support. And Shadow slept…rather unceremoniously, lying simply on his back. Lastly, Elise slept soundly, although her mind was troubled over the day's events.

But too bad it was too late to change what she had done now.

Sonic tip-toed quietly out of his bedroom, heart beating so hard in his chest, he thought it was gonna burst out of his ribcage. The questions that were rampaging about in his skull never ended. _What if I get caught? What if Elise sees me? What would happen once I got outside? Where am I gonna go? Am I gonna go to the track? No, no. Even if she didn't believe me, I shouldn't go ahead and run…she'd be even more mad if she found out. But…_

He tried to ignore the ever-persistent voice in the back of his head. At first, it wasn't so hard. The thought had seemed absurd, even. But after a while…it was a _wee_ bit tempting. _Go Outside…_ it would whisper, as if beckoning him sweetly. _Go Outside…_ It took him a minute to understand what the voice _exactly _meant. It was talking about the _Outside_-outside. The place the others would start to talk about—then immediately shut up. The place that when asked about they would be yelled at and sent nasty glares (nasty, _nasty _glares they were—enough to send you back-peddling backward in surprise and shame). The _forbidden _place. Elise had made them swear not to ever go there—and never, _ever_ to ask about it, or even think about it! It was a stupid thing to make them promise, since no duh they'd have the endless questions about what the 'Outside' was and what it was like. And no duh they'd wanna go there. Curiosity could never be limited. But she had made them promise anyway—and after what they'd learned throughout the years, what Elise says _goes_.

But Sonic, being ever the crafty one, had gotten Rouge to spill a little bit on what the Outside was like. He could remember it distinctly—for he had taken in every word that she had said like a sponge to water. He thrived on the words she had spoken—dreamed about them almost every night. And when he would awake suddenly, jolted and surprised by the image that would come to mind, he'd ask himself, _Is that what the Outside's like…?_

But he'd have no way of knowing it was true.

However, now that he was planning on running away (just for a short time, he reminded himself)…

The second the thought of seeing the Outside crossed his mind, all other doubts of what to do or if he got caught or if he should just go at all vanished. His mind made itself up, and his heart was set. The Outside was where he wanted to go.

Sonic's heart swelled with so much hope, he picked up his steps quicker—and with that, being a little less careful of being quiet. But he made it to the door just fine.

He then looked behind him, green eyes searching for any sign someone had heard him. His ears flittered about this way and that. Not a sound, nor a movement. Good. Very good.

Now came the escaping part…

However, as soon as he laid his hand on the doorknob, it was as if an invisible force was pulling his arm back. It was as if a greater power was saying, 'No.' Just a simple, two-letter word, and yet it would not allow him to pull open that door. Sonic struggled with himself for a moment. He wanted to go, right? He wanted to get away. Then how come it was so hard? The question was so difficult to answer, and yet he knew the answer all the same.

It was because he couldn't escape the haunting feeling that this was all _wrong_.

But all he needed was a little fresh air, right?

Air…

What did that mean, really? Sure, they breathed. But in all the video games, when the characters were 'outside', there was always that wind that gently brushed across the grass—that caressed the character's face as they jogged along. Sonic couldn't help but feel envious. He wanted that wind. Desired it. In fact, the longing was so great, whenever he would think about it, it would be as if someone was pulling on his heart, threatening to break the arteries that tied it back.

And yet, all that was keeping him from feeling that beautiful wind was a stupid door…

Sucking in a silent breath, Sonic pushed what remained of his staying-behind thoughts away. He had made up his mind, right? He was going to go Outside.

And so, as he opened the door, his heart picked up its rapid pace, and he once again felt that it was going to burst out of his ribcage. But the feeling, he found now, wasn't so bad as it had been. He actually kinda liked it.

What was it that Elise had called that feeling again…?

Oh yeah. Adrenaline.

-

(The time has come again…)

-

Fifteen minutes later, Sonic found himself in almost the exact same position. Only difference: he was now standing in front of the only door standing between him and the real Outside. The last door--the actual, real Outside.

The _real_ Outside.

He could not seem to grasp it. He was so close, now! He could almost taste the wind (although since he had never really 'tasted' it before, he imagined it would have a great taste, and so he went with that). But he couldn't believe it—it was finally here. Finally time.

Forget the part about his heart about to burst. It already did, mended itself together, and now was a torrential hurricane inside his chest.

He reached out to grab the handle, then forced himself to wait a moment. He had to calm himself down…

But he couldn't help it—he was so excited! The Outside—right here! The adrenaline rush (which he was slowly starting to love) was too great, and yet throughout his whole escapade, he was able to keep completely silent. How he ever managed that was beyond him.

But now, after taking another silent breath, he convinced himself he was ready.

Yeah…yeah, he was ready. Time to go Outside. He could do it, right? He wouldn't get caught.

…what would happen if he were, though?

No! No, no, don't start thinking about that. Focus, Sonic. Remember, the Outside. Yeah. The Outside…right here…

…and if I don't get out there now, I might never will…

With that thought in mind, he reached out to open the door, going through a mental checklist. He had shut off the front door alarms for a few minutes, right? Yep. He had a key to get back in, right? Yep.

Okay…that was it…_this_ was it…

Sonic took another deep breath. _Let's do this, _he thought to himself. Then, he opened his emerald green eyes, which shone with such unnamable excitement, before opening the door and stepping out into a world that seemed like a dream. He couldn't breathe.

No, literally.

He couldn't breathe.

But not because someone had cut off his air supply (although it certainly felt like that). But because of what he _saw_. It was like out of a video game—or a movie—and coming into real life!

The night air, he found, felt so crisp around him—yet sweet in its own little way. Feeling like a little child—but not minding it one bit—he stuck his tongue out to taste it for real. It was…refreshing. Slightly chilly, but perfect at the same time.

And it was then, he saw the little twinkling lights above him—high up in the sky. Wait…what were those called again? They talked about them a lot in video games…and Rouge had mentioned them, too… Then, it came to him. _Stars_! They were _stars_!

Sonic smiled widely, looking up. They were even better to see with his own two little eyes than to see them in video games!

And that big, bright, silverish disc in the sky…was that the sun? No, the sun was yellow, and much, much more intense…Rouge had said it hurt your eyes to look at… Now, let's see…what was it called again…? Sonic frowned as he realized he didn't know that particular information yet…but no matter. He'd find out sooner or later.

Again, Sonic couldn't help but smile even wider. That little disc in the sky was so beautiful—and yet so eerily haunting! He loved it!

"This is _so _cool…" he whispered to himself in awe. "Tails and the others would love it!"

And yet, feeling a little greedy, Sonic couldn't help but slightly want only himself to know what the Outside looked like. But no, that would be mean. And he couldn't do that to his best friend, Tails. Or Amy, even if the girl could be annoying. Knuckles…Knuckles, he didn't care. They didn't get along too well, anyway.

_But someday…definitely someday I have to take them out here. They'd love it_, he thought with a fond smile, eyes twinkling with genuine care for his fellow alien friends. _But while _I'm _out here…_ he thought, a sly smile spreading across his furred features. _I might as well do some exploring…_

And so, taking in as much as he could, Sonic set off, having the time of his life just discovering what all the Outside had to offer. But while he was seeing the immense beauty of it, he failed to realize that there was also great danger to the Outside.

For with every beautiful, enchanting rose comes horrid, painful thorns…

-

(I will not forget…)

-

"Whoa, this place is awesome!" Sonic couldn't help but exclaim to himself as he stood atop one of the very high business buildings that crowded the area. He hadn't been very far, in fact, no more than eight miles away from the building in which he called 'home.' But the grin he wore was enough to light an entire room that had no electricity.

He chuckled to himself, that feeling of triumph in his sole ever rising. "Yeah! _This _is happenin'!"

He couldn't deny how _free_ he felt; it was amazing! No worries of running into walls, having to keep to the same direct oval over and over and over and over…

No. He could run any which way, any where, any time. And the _wind_, oh _the wind_…!

Sonic's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the loud wail of sirens. His ears perked up, heart fleeting for a moment as the thought drifted across his head that he had been caught. But that thought was left to rust as he saw the two things making the noise, police cars, zip down the highway, red lights beaming.

His attention, and interest, was piqued. What was going on? Why were those two cars going so fast?

Led only by impulse and not at all thinking this through, Sonic burst off after the cars, using his momentum to successfully jump between the gaps that separated the office buildings. With speed like his, and because of how fast the police cars were indeed going, it took no time at all to reach the destination. Once there, Sonic bent down on one knee at the edge of the building's top to watch the action that would ensue below…

The cars, he saw, stopped in front of a small stone courtyard that led to the City Hall. Their lights illuminated the area, exposing that which had a moment before been hidden in shadows: …a young boy…?

Sonic's eye ridge raised. The kid looked to be about his age (no doubt way taller, as he was only three feet), and had shaggy dark brown hair that even went so far as to cover his left eye. From what the hedgehog saw, he wore pretty basic clothing—but Sonic had played enough video games to know that when police cars were chasing after something with blaring red lights, that meant whoever they were chasing were in _trouble_.

So what could this kid have done…?

"You there…" one of the police officers called out after he had gotten out of his car. His voice had a strong Japanese accent, but that was a no-brainer, especially since the guy _was_ Japanese. But what Sonic couldn't understand was why he was speaking English. Of course, the hedgehog knew Japanese. After being around Yuji Naka and Dr. Ivo, it kinda caught on, and after prodding Elise about it, she finally taught them all the language….but…

…he was getting side-tracked.

"Are you Vincent Perry?" the police officer asked. Apparently, he was fluent in English, too, for he did not seem to stumble or struggle with his words.

But his reply was an unearthly hiss from the boy.

Sonic's back straightened, fur crawling. That…was just _nasty_. He'd never heard anything like it before—and apparently, neither have the officers, for they paled, back-pedaling almost in a hurry. That hiss was enough to chill _anyone_ right down to the bone…

One of the police offers shakily lifted his radio up to his lips, speaking something in Japanese about their 'target being located' and 'going to proceed in—' but that was as far as he had got, for before even Sonic could blink, the radio flew out of the man's hand; and the next thing anybody knew, the officer lie unmoving on the ground, out cold. One of the men shouted a cuss word in Japanese, before proceeding to bark out orders to the rest of his men.

Sonic was lost in the confusing of it all. How in the world had those past two seconds happened?

And then, he saw it.

Extending out from the boy's hand was a pillar of _water_, almost acting like an extension-arm.

"Holy cow…" having been raised in a Christian environment, Sonic had been strictly forbidden not to cuss. It wasn't that he minded—what enjoyment was there, anyway, in cussing? But when he saw the boy single handedly (and literally, single-handedly) take out all the police officers, he was definitely tempted to whisper one.

The boy grinned eerily, his 'water-arm' then sliding back into his hand, before everything was normal again. Well…normal if you don't consider the limp bodies of four police officers around. But quiet, almost absurdly calm; as normal as this scene could get.

Sonic watched as 'Vincent' turned around, tilting his head up as if to discern what type of building was in front of him. As he reached out to open the front door (or at least pick-lock his way inside), Sonic couldn't help but feel this was wrong. _Way_ wrong.

_He's just like those robbers in those movies…I can't let him take anything!_ Sonic thought, heart beating in his chest. Oh, how it would be so much easier to just step back and act like he hadn't seen anything. But he had seen something. He'd seen everything. And he couldn't let this kid get away with it…especially from hurting the authority…

Swallowing nervously, throat constricting because of anxiety, Sonic ran down the side of the building, using his speed to defy gravity (which he had found out how to do by now; it fascinated and thrilled him to no end) and landed safely on the ground a few feet away. The boy froze, having heard his rapid footsteps.

Sonic's heart beat even wilder, like a bucking horse trapped inside his ribcage. But he swallowed it down. Or, as best he could. He had to stop this kid; wrong would not go unpaid.

He hadn't realized he was still kneeling on the ground as the kid turned around. But he figured it out soon enough as he found himself nailed to the spot under the piercing glare. But no…no…it wasn't the _glare_ that scared him. It was those _eyes_. They were a bright, eerie, glowing, lime green. Haunting and ethereal, it was split in the center by a small, thin pupil.

Sonic could not move.

He could not speak.

He forgot what he was doing there.

What he was supposed to do.

All the threads of sanity broke with a snap in his mind.

He had only one thing, and one thing alone, to do now.

Run.

But he could not move.

He could not move at all.

He was frozen.

Panic rose inside the hedgehog as the boy stepped closer, gaze not breaking. In fact, those eyes seem to glow more intensely with each slow, torturous step he took. Sonic's mind tried desperately to claw back at reality, but it seemed lost. Everything seemed lost. Like scattered shards…

Sonic was becoming hysterical--desperate. At least, inside he was. Outside, he was as stiff as a pillar, as if mesmerized by the boy's eyes. But those eyes…those _eyes_…

_Get away!_ his mind was screaming. _No—no! Stop! Don't come any closer! Please!_ He was desperate—insane--pleading in his mind for the boy to freeze. But he did not stop. Those eyes got closer and closer…

They seemed to laugh at his immobility. Taunt him. Mock him. They seemed to glare at him with such burning hatred…

And still closer they got.

Outside, Sonic was shaking. His heart was now the wildest storm. He could not think. He had to get away. He had to _run_.

Closer…

No…no…no…no… "_Stop!_" Sonic shouted, every hidden power that had held him down suddenly—and surprisingly--breaking. He felt…free…?

No, but he was not free. Vincent stood in front of him, a few paces off, head tilted downward at an awkward angle. His eyes glared up at Sonic, filled with hate, hate, hate…

Then, suddenly the boy stepped back, hissing that unearthly sound again. Sonic again felt his fur crawl, and stepped back, his spine pressed against the stone gate in front of the courtyard. But he had noticed the boy had acted differently. There was something that had snapped in his eyes as he hissed—a flicker of emotion…of recognition…?

Vincent uttered a low, rumbling growl deep within his throat. Sonic felt his spine tingle with fear. Every nerve in his body was jumping—alert—but maybe too alert.

But he was not prepared for what happened next.

Before Sonic could blink, the boy's two hands extended outward in his water like arms. But now as he saw them up close—actually, _around his neck_, and pushing him down to the ground—he saw they were more like a lobster's, claw-like. Sonic screamed, writhed in panic as he felt the firm snapper-hands around his neck. But he could not move. The boy was far too strong. What type of water was this?

Sonic struggled even more wildly, thrashing about to get free as he saw the boy start to walk closer, hissing and yet grinning at the same time. Those eyes…_those eyes_…they were getting closer again…! No…no…_no_…!

Vincent cackled—how odd it sounded, vibrating in his throat—as he stood in front of the fallen hedgehog. He looked down upon his prey, a glimmer of glee leaping into his eye. He cackled again as he saw the hedgehog tremble. Oh the joy in being him…

Sonic gasped, feeling himself freeze again as he once again looked into the boy's eyes. Again, he could feel his mind snap…he could feel everything become shards in front of him…nothing mattered anymore…he had to _run_…_run_…_**run**_! Anywhere but there!

To his torture, Sonic saw Vincent bend over him, grinning and hissing. Now that he could see him up close, he saw the boy had actual _fangs_…not good…oh, not good, _not good_…

And those eyes got ever closer…ever closer…

_**No**_! Sonic was getting hysterical again. Anywhere but here! Take those eyes _away_! _Away_, _away_, _**away**_!

But suddenly…Vincent stopped. He just froze, face a little ways away from Sonic's, and stood there, bent over and completely still. But he did not stop grinning. His game was not over just yet.

There was one thing left to do.

"Hello, Jules," he whispered—voice whispy and husky, chilling the hedgehog evermore to the core. He looked like he was about to say more—his mouth was open and ready--but suddenly he tilted his head to the right, as if hearing something the hedgehog couldn't.

Then Vincent growled, before backing away from Sonic, and then disappearing into the shadows altogether. His exit was nothing fancy—quick, simple, but still fairly creepy.

And Sonic had not noticed.

In fact, he did not notice when a certain, familiar, 17-year-old girl tip-toed out of the shadows to go over and pick him up. He did not even notice when the girl had taken him back to her house. And he did not notice when Elise came to pick him up. He did not notice the drive back to the SEGA building. He did not notice the surprised and worried—not to mention tired—looks the other members of his 'family' gave him when Elise walked by them, carrying him to his bedroom. And he did not notice when Elise had tucked him in his bed.

He had not noticed anything at all.

And he could only lie there, half-awake, half-asleep—half-alive—as Elise gently held onto his hand, praying to her Lord that nothing too terrible had happened.

If only she knew.

-

(...what they did to you…)

-

"Will he be okay…?" Tails asked hesitantly as he stood beside his best friend's bed. He, unlike the others, didn't mind that he had been woken up in the middle of the night 'just because of that dumb furball' (as Shadow had so kindly put it). He was concerned when he had heard word of his friend's escapade into the Outside. Actually, he still couldn't get over that Sonic actually did it—that he actually ran away to the forbidden place.

And oh boy, was Elise gonna get mad at him…

But strangely enough, she didn't look angry at all. In fact, she looked concerned, worried…it almost looked like Sonic hadn't done anything wrong.

"I don't know, Tails…" Elise's voice sounded strangely far-away, distant, as if her thoughts were elsewhere. Then she turned to him, eyes gentle, but voice firm. "You should get to bed. He'll be all right in the morning."

Tails tried to keep himself from laughing. "But I sleep in here, remember?"

"And so do I, but you don't see me complainin'," muttered Knuckles from the other side of the room.

"But you _were_ complaining earlier, Knuckles," Tails reminded. The echidna couldn't deny that much. He hated being waked up. Either he waked up by himself, or not at all. And his view on that hadn't changed no matter what situation the hedgehog was in.

The fox's answer was just a grumble.

"Maybe you two should sleep downstairs on the futon," Elise spoke up, her voice still distant.

Knuckles then suddenly shot up straight in bed, eyes wide. To sleep on the futon was like asking to buy something from a store a few days before your birthday. It _rarely_ happened. "Are you serious?" he asked.

Elise's response was a simple, slight nod.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Tails jumped up the ladder to get to his top bunk, grabbing a blanket and pillow. "Thanks so much!"

Knuckles jumped off his bed, grabbing the same needed materials.

Elise wasn't even able to murmur, "Have fun," before they were out of the room, running over to the basement door.

And then, there was silence.

Elise slowly stroked Sonic's hand with her thumb. Of course, naturally, she _was_ mad at the hedgehog—infuriated, even—but she couldn't really blame him. It _was_ partly her fault after all…

She still couldn't believe it. After all those years of trusting that pastor, he had lied to her. And a simple lie can still do so much to trust.

Elise was jolted out of her thoughts as suddenly, Sonic shot up in bed, screaming, and thrashing. But she was not scared. She had known this would come. It had come before—after Tails had watched that horror movie that Shadow, Rouge and Knuckles had secretly wanted to see before bed even though Elise made them _promise_ not to let any one else see it. It had happened then. It was a strange kind of sickness with these aliens. When sent into shock—or some paralyzing fear—they would freeze, as if asleep with their eyes open, and then suddenly snap out of it, screaming, writhing, crying…

"Sonic, _Sonic_…shh…I'm here…settle…" Elise firmly grabbed his forearms, limiting his movement. But the hedgehog still trembled, shaking—sobbing. It was so unlike him.

Still quieting his screaming, Elise pulling him into an embrace, softly stroking his back—and yet still being careful of his spines which were _daggers_ when he cried. He was mumbling incoherently, something about 'those eyes' and 'water' and…and something else that she wasn't quite sure of. Jewels…? Or was it Jules…?

"Eyes…eyes…watching me…" Sonic whimpered, eyes shut tight and shaking like a little child who just awoke from a nightmare.

Elise quietly shushed him once more. "No…no, there's no eyes anymore, Sonic…no more eyes…"

"Yes, _yes_! They're everywhere! Watching me! Hurting me!" Sonic wailed.

"No…no…no eyes. They're not here. Not when I'm here," Elise said softly. She continued to rub his back softly. "No eyes…"

Sonic seemed to calm a little bit, but still trembled, slightly whimpering. And that night, Elise continued to sooth him until it seemed he had fallen asleep. But Elise knew there was more…there was always more. Like an earthquake. After the actual quake, there comes the aftermaths—which is sometimes worse than the quake itself.

As she laid the hedgehog down, she realized with a soft sigh, this was going to be a long night…

-

(…my love.)

-

**Author's Notes:** Ack. Poor Sonic-kun… T.T I ish sorry. (pets him) Anywayz, I dun't really have much to say…um…you like chappy…? XD If you do, there's a cute little review button down there! n.n Have a nice day!

\

V (it's an arrow XD)


	3. Chapter 3: Sometimes Fall, Crawl

Chapter 3: Sometimes Fall, Crawl

-

_Dear Diary (2-11-08),_

_Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe it. Remember when I wrote that I was worried about my friend? I had thought he was sick…but now I learn he's in Japan! And for what reason?! Vincent _never_ likes to travel. He's a homebody. And his _parents_ didn't even know about this! I mean…I know Vincent can be rebellious and all, but this is overdoing it. Flying to Japan without telling anybody? Running away? I thought he was happy here with me…_

_Darn, I wrote that in pen._

_I'll write later, diary. Right now…right now I think I better talk to God about this. Hate to be rude and have a hasty departure, but…I'm American. What can you say?_

-

Elise walked into the kitchen, refreshed from her shower, and hungry for lunch. She had slept past breakfast, as Sonic had finally fallen to sleep in the young, early hours of morning, giving her at least some hours of sleep—but that turned into practically the rest of the morning.

"Good morning, Elise," Amy greeted, smiling. As usual, she was in the kitchen again, cooking something no-doubtedly yummy.

"Hello, Amy; sorry I slept so late," Elise said as she surveyed the room for a headcount. Shadow, Knuckles and Rouge were downstairs, she saw; she also couldn't help but hear them, as was to be expected—teenagers were always loud. And Tails and Cream were visible, sitting at the counter…and Sonic was there, too?

That was surprising. But he really was there, sitting and laughing with his best friend as if the previous day had never happened. It was a good sign, but Elise knew he must be troubled. Whatever had happened yesterday and put him in that weird alien-state of shock would be something he would not forget for a while…

"It's all right," Amy replied, shaking Elise out of her thoughts. The red-head turned to the little pink girl as she smiled up at her, mouth opening to add another comment. "It's Sunday, after all, and besides—"

But Amy never got to finish.

At the worst of moments, their 'front door' creaked open Silence took over the room as every head turned to see who was coming in.

It was the last person Sonic wanted to see.

"Pastor Simon…um…" Elise's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. What was _he _doing here? But then slowly, her eyes wandered over to Sonic. His fur was on end, spines bristling.

This was not good.

Trying to keep this as peaceful as they could, Elise added, "…what brings you here?"

The pastor did not reply for a moment, for he was occupied by his stare-down with Sonic. It was obvious he didn't want to be here as much as Sonic wanted him to be. But then that stood to raise the question…why _was _he here?

And it was then he answered.

"It is not of my own reason," he said, voice having a distinct growl to it as his gaze did not break with Sonic's. Sonic gave a quiet growl in response, his sounding much more natural—since he was, after all, dear reader, an animal.

But Elise ignored them, and paid attention to the pastor's words.

"Then…who's reason is it?" the redhead asked.

Finally, Pastor Simon broke the stare-down with Sonic to glance at Elise, before stepping aside to reveal who the inquired person was.

It made everyone in the room tense with surprise, and even made Elise stumble back in shock, for the person standing in the doorway was yet another alien much like Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles. Although particularly Knuckles, for she looked of the same race, with dangling dreadlocks wrapped in white ribbons, a light peach muzzle and beautiful aqua eyes. She wore a modest, sleeveless, white halter-like top, a patterned skirt and white sandals to finish the look off.

The new alien took one step inside, eyes sweeping over everyone in the room. Then she settled her gaze on Sonic, Tails and Amy who were nearby the kitchen and staring at her in shock.

The pastor, unnerved already by having to be in the presence of another one of those 'animals', left quietly while everyone was still staring at the new creature, and shut the door behind himself. Then, there was silence. Although, not for very long.

"Wh-who are you…?" it was Tails who asked.

The alien turned to rest her gaze specifically on Tails. After another brief moment of silence, she finally opened her lips and answered, "I'm Tikal. And I come bearing most important news for you all."

There was silence for a few moments. And then….with a wave of her hand…Elise said…

"Cream…go get Knuckles…"

-

(How could they not have seen…)

-

Five minutes later found the whole group sitting upstairs in the living room, the new comer—Tikal—standing in front of her audience, calm and collected. They, on the other hand, were not. She could see this as plain as day.

It made her almost wish she didn't have to tell them.

But for the sake of everything that had happened…everything that is happening…and everything that will happen…

…she had to.

And so, moistening her lips quickly, she opened her mouth and began to speak.

"Although you may not realize it…every one of you…all the citizens of Japan—all the inhabitants of the world—are in great peril. Your lives are threatened by a powerful force, a force that even in the world I come from," here she glanced at Sonic, Amy, Tails and Knuckles, "there have been made religions to worship it."

Tikal then placed her hand upon her chest as she rested her eyes over the whole group once more. "I have come to you to stop this great power."

Knuckles rolled his amethyst eyes. "Yeah…uh-huh…"

"I speak the truth," Tikal's one aquamarine orbs flashed at him. "Believe me not you may, but if nothing is to be done, Earth _will_ cease to exist. In fact, so great a calamity it may be, that the whole galaxy may come undone if we do not stop it now!"

Amy bit her lip nervously, as a similar wave of uneasiness passed through the group. Knuckles stood up to shake it off.

"Listen lady, I don't know who you are, but—"

"But _I_ know who you are, Knuckles," Tikal interrupted. Her gaze was fierce like blue lightning as she added, "It is you who'd be most surprised to find my identity in relation to yours."

Knuckles furrowed his eyebrows, mouth opening to retort. He was beaten to it.

"What do you mean?" it was Elise.

Tikal sighed, turning away. "That is for another time. What matters now is stopping him."

Sonic stiffened, a bad feeling running up his spine. Shaking it off to not let it get to him too much, he asked, "Who's…'him'?"

Slowly, the echidna turned to him, her head tilted at an angle that gave her a soft look. "The great power I have already told you about…" A small, bittersweet smile spread on her lips as she continued, "It is funny you should be the one to ask about 'him,' Sonic, for I know you have already come in contact with 'him.' I can see it in your eyes."

Sonic's skin crawled, and his eyes became hard with hate. "Vincent…" he whispered.

Tikal shook her head, dreadlocks swinging. "'Vincent' is the name of the being he is inhabiting. His real name…the one I know him by…the one the ancient texts refer him to…is _Chaos_."

-

(The consequence of their actions…)

-

"So Vincent is just a normal, human boy?" Rouge spoke up for the first time. She had her arms crossed over her chest, a look of apathy on her face as she leaned back into the couch. But in all reality, she was very much interested in what this stranger—Tikal—was saying.

The mentioned echidna nodded. "He, himself, is harmless. But Chaos has chosen to use him as a vessel. It is Chaos who has the power."

"But if Chaos is such 'a great power'…" Shadow began softly, thinking deeply before continuing. "…why does he need a vessel? Why doesn't he just go ahead and use his true form to destroy the world?"

Tikal smiled grimly. "He can't. Not yet."

"But I thought you said—"

Tails was interrupted as Tikal raised her hand to intervene. Then, when everything was silent, she began again.

"In order to unlock the true power he holds—the power to destroy Earth—Chaos must gather the seven keepers of that power." A small smile graced her lips as she said this.

"You're…not making any sense," Knuckles said bluntly--even boredly.

Tikal sighed, closing her eyes. She had to remind herself they weren't there nine years ago…they wouldn't understand. So, opening her mouth, she tried again. "Almost a decade ago…Chaos was stripped of his power. That great power he once held now resides in seven gems—the seven keepers of his power—the Chaos Emeralds."

"This all sounds so weird…" Sonic murmured.

"I know of that. That is why I have already brought one so that this may erase your doubts…" And sure enough, from a messenger bag no one had noticed before, Tikal drew a large diamond-looking stone about the size of her fist, and held it up for them to see.

"This…is a Chaos Emerald."

Silence overtook the whole group as the gem was in their presence. The quietness they held seemed like an ethereal lace, that if one were to even touch it would shatter. It was like suddenly, everything seemed…like a dream. It was almost hypnotic like.

"...and they contain Chaos' power? How'd that happen?" Tails inquired, leaning forward.

Tikal opened her mouth to reply, before Knuckles rudely interrupted. "Look, lady, I'm not interested in a history lesson." He said that with a pointed glare at Tails, before turning his attention back to the echidna. "If we are supposed to stop this 'Chaos' dude, then how do we do it? That's all I wanna know."

The other echidna sighed, her shoulders nearly sagging with wearied patience. But her composure was never lost. She straightened her back and answered with a calm tone, "You must find the other six Chaos Emeralds, and use Chaos' own power to undo him."

Sonic leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "You make it sound like a piece of cake."

"I can assure you...it's a most difficult, and perilous, adventure. Never at one point--if you chose to accept this task--while your life not be at stake," Tikal answered, at first with amusement, then with increasing gravity.

"I'm not sure I like this..." Tails fidgeted. When intimidated by the looks the other occupants of the room gave him, he added quickly, "I mean...there are so many unanswered questions. I'm not sure if I can trust you or what you say when we don't even know everything."

"Knowledge will be gained as this journey progresses," Tikal explained evenly. "I can promise you that."

Elise sighed, shaking her head. "I have to agree with Tails on this one." The red-head then stood up. "I can't allow these guys to endanger themselves like this--embarking on a quest that a stranger who just looks like them brought on to us."

"I _understand your concern_." Silence quickly took over--much like a candle snuffed out--after the new echidna spoke. Her aquamarine eyes were hard, firm as she turned to gaze at each person in the room in turn. Then she spoke once more. "I'm sorry to say, but you _have_ no say in what must be done. Someone in this room is required to stop Chaos. That fact is inevitable."

The tense silence lingered on a bit longer, before Sonic eventually spoke up. "...soooooo...is that person already chosen, or what? I mean, do we get to decide if we want to go or...?"

Tikal nodded. "The choice is one person's and one person's entirely. But _someone_ must go."

The group exchanged glances. Well...this was surely...a difficult decision. To elect a single person to save the world...? They would have to start thinking about the most capable to do such a task--the most fit. Who was the strongest? The fastest? The smartest?

...but the problem was, they all had those different and specific talents. It was not simply one person, but the entire group that had those selective abilities. And when combined, they could be undefeatable. But to nominate a single person...?

This made the decision even harder.

Elise sat back down on the couch thoughtfully, folding her hands in front of her mouth. And after the moment of silence, she spoke up quietly, "...one person...?"

"One person."

"And no one else can help them?"

At that, Tikal shook her head. "You all may help them. In fact, without support, this mission will be quite impossible. Teamwork is highly, highly recommended--in fact, necessary. But it will be only this one person who can defeat Chaos--who will be the one who can use the Chaos Emeralds and undo his power."

The red-head nodded. "Right..."

The air was tense after that. It seemed as if many were ready to stand up--but kept eyeing each other, as if that other person wanted to go more than they did, which of course was by-all-means-fine-to-them-go-right-ahead-mm-hmmm. Yes, it was very, very quiet.

That is, until he stood up.

"I'll do it."

And that settled it. Ease washed over the group--as well as a new anxiety. The combatant against Chaos was chosen--the only person who could use the Chaos Emerald's power to undo their very own core. But the mission wasn't over--it hadn't even begun. And they all knew this.

But they did not know what it would all entail.

So when Tikal nodded to the volunteer, and a gentle smile graced her lips--a few people started to relax a little bit more. But not the chosen.

"Very well, Sonic. If you will...I would like to you to come take this Chaos Emerald, so that the contract may be sealed."

The blue hedgehog was far, far from feeling easy.

-

(It's not my fault...)

-

When Sonic walked up to Tikal, it felt like a bucking horse was inside his ribcage. But of course, he was Sonic the Hedgehog--he kept his cool, he walked calmly--it was no big deal after all, right? It was only a joke--there wasn't any beast like Chaos on Earth. How could there be, anyway? It defied all laws of physics and nature...

...I mean, not that he would know, but...still...

Tikal nodded to him as he took his place beside her. And then, she held out the Chaos Emerald. Really, he could only stare at it for a moment--it looked so harmless, sitting there in her gloved palm. And it didn't make sense, anyway; how could it contain a fragment of death? Seven fist-sized jewels being weapons of mass destruction? Mm-hmm, yeah, yeah, likely story, apricot...

"Sonic...I bestow upon you an inner network of Chaos's power. You're veins will be opened--changed--so that your very own blood can channel his deity. It will be a shock--I know--but your body should shut itself down so that the pain or awkward feeling should go by without notice..."

And with a careful eye, she looked him over. "You seem as though you could use the rest, anyway..."

Sonic snorted, but held out his hand. "Yeah, yeah...let's just get this over with."

Tikal smiled gently--after seeming, at first, a tad bit abashed--and then took his own hand in hers, placing the gem in it afterward.

And the reaction? It was like lightning.

Suddenly, the gem began to glow--rapidly, brightly--radiantly. Sonic yelled out a 'Whoa!' as did nearly everyone else who scrambled to shield their eyes. And then...

When the light finally dimmed, Sonic was no longer standing. He was on the floor--he was out--and he looked...asleep, almost.

Elise immediately jumped to her feet, crying, "Sonic!" And rushing to his side, she kneeled and reached out to shake his shoulder--but a gloved hand was suddenly placed on her own fist, keeping it from touching the hedgehog. When Elise looked up to find aquamarine eyes giving a warning look to her own, she then heard Tikal murmur quietly, "Don't wake him--he needs this sleep or else the transformation would be worse."

The group quietened their own murmurs after hearing that. All in all, everyone felt too scrambled much to think anything of the situation in general. Earlier that day, things had been as a normal Sunday would be--as a normal Sunday _should_ be. But now, suddenly they were required to save the world.

Suddenly, Sonic was blessed with the power to use the Chaos Emeralds.

And suddenly, Earth doesn't seem like such a neat place anymore...

-

(...that they were blind.)

-

**Author's Notes:** ...ugh, I'm so tired. Dx I dun't even WANT to do Author's Notes...it's 11:20 p.m. I had a softball game earlier today...and I was Catcher, too...arg...(crawls to bed)


End file.
